The Opelousas courier., 1887-12-24
A DETECTIVE TALKS.
He Makes Public Something
About Accident Suits
s1adowing People Who Claim
Heavy Damages.

tives have, who work for corporations,
are those known MS accident suits sal
one of the fraternity to a New York Sun
reporter. There are now pending
mere than 5000 suits for damages
against the elevated roads OF New York.
Here is a sample: One day a laborer was
i going to work, and while passing under
the Third avenue elevated road a care
less workman on the latter line Let a
apiece of timber fall and hit him on the
head and shoulder. He got a scalp
wound and a bruise of the
shsulder, but sustained no seri-
GUS injury, A lawyer got hold
of him and persuaded him to bring suit
against the company for $40, 900 dam
ages. Contrary to the lawyers instruc-
lions, he went out ON the street to en-
joy his leisure. His counsellor found
him and hustled him up into the garrett
over a saloon and practically made him
a prisoner. We found out where he was
and / set out to get at him.e | weRt into
the saloon under his lodgings n night
drank vile whisky until along toward
morning, pretended to be very drunk,
and was carried into an upper room di-
rectly under the apartments occupied
by the claimant. When my companions
of the saloon had left me / climbed up a
ladder, forced open a trap door and
found the man / was after. / was
disguised as a sea captain, and the man,
not suspecting my identity, told me how
and why he had been made a prisoner.
Ipersuaded him to descend with me
down the fire escape, promising to take
him to sea with me and pay him liber-
ally. Once outside, I~conducted him to
the offices of the railroad company, and
there $500 was offered to him If he
would sign a release of all claim against
the company. He readily gave his sig
nature to the document and went home
happy. Il he had brought suit he might
have got nearly all that was demanded
in his action.
"One night q man was going hong
along Fifty-second street and fell part
way through the hatehway in front of q
house owned by q onan of compare
lively modest means. Ale went home
and at once instituted proceedings for
heavy damages claiming that he had
been totally paralyzed in his lower
limbs BY the accident. / was employed
by the defendant to ferIt out the case.
hired 4 physician to examine the man.
He turned the battery on him and Sc
cured ample eridebse that he was slim
ulating paralysis. hired a room di-
rectly opposite that occupied by the al
legged invalid and watched his movements
with a field glass. / saw him walking
about his rooms and so testified
at the trial. The doctor corrobo-
rated my Story, but the man had
employed attendants to carry him into
the court room, and he acted his part SO
well that in spite of all the evidence we
adduced the plaintiff got IS, 800 dam
ages. I promised to prove to the de-
PENDANT that the suit was a fraud or to
charge no pay for my services. In
order to convince her / arranged that a
servant girl should go to work in apart
ments adjoining those occupied BY the
claimant. She discovered that two days
after the trial he was able to walk down
stairs and get his beer. Whom / had
proveathis I accepted the stipulated fee
for my services
* prove to you that Incorporation
has no chance with the average jury, let
me tell you q case that once occurred ii
Detroit. a man had been struck BY 8
Michigan Central locomotive and in
jured, He brought suit, claiming that
the engineer had not sounded his bell
Is . warning, while the engineer averred
that the bell had been constantly rnng.
The claimant won ID the lower court,
and the case was taken up to a higher
tribunal. The superintendent of the
road then determined to try an expert
ment, He boarded an engine going
down the line through the city and stood
ID the cab with d disinterested witness.
He rang the bell as fastsas possible, and
saw to It that the locomotive ma le only
gixmiles al hour: Officers Of this com
pany Were stationed at several of the
crossings and they summoned witnesses
who had seen the engine go BY. OF 4
large number Of these only three swore
that the locomotives bell was
ringing. soae testified that the
engine wa going forty miles
an hour and none Of them fixed
the r9te II speed at less than fifteen miles
ahh hour. They all, no doubt. intended
to Be sincere, butthe ease illustrated
the u~nreliabilIty 81 the ordinary witness
against 4 corporation. The company Of
Tered this evidence. but was defeated
nevertheless. Yoa may not be i friend
d the corporations. but it may interest
you to know that the Lake Shore road
was deErauded Of more than . quarter of
4 million dollars ii fraudulent claims for
damages On account b the Ashtal1uIa